(Miami Dade County Attorney's Office's Murray Greenberg).

• Author: Greenberg, Benjamin
• Position: Civility and Professionalism in the Law: The Road to Justice - Testimonial

The Greenberg Family is delighted and honored that this edition of the St. Thomas Law Review is being published in honor of our father, Murray Greenberg. Although we thought of him as just our Dad, we know that he was beloved and deeply appreciated by generations of lawyers, law students, and others throughout South Florida for his contributions to our community and the Bar. This volume, with its emphasis on professionalism and civility in the practice of law, speaks to many of the issues that he cared about most and that he exemplified as a lawyer and a person.

By way of background, aside from a few years in private practice near the beginning and end of his career, Murray Greenberg spent his entire career at the Miami Dade County Attorney's Office, serving for most of that time as First Assistant and then spending a few years as County Attorney before he retired. In that capacity, he oversaw the growth of the County Attorney's Office into what is widely considered to be the premier municipal law office in the country. He did this by taking great care to hire lawyers who had not only the skill and intellect to represent the County well, but also the character, compassion, and integrity to bring honor to the office. Such strong hiring and focus on quality people allowed the County Attorney's Office to guide the County's Commissioners, Mayors, administrators, and citizens through periods of unprecedented growth, upheaval, opportunity, and challenge. Murray personally handled some of the most fascinating and important of these, including the development of bilingualism ordinances, dramatic reforms to the voting and apportionment processes, drastic changes in zoning and environmental laws, and--most headline-grabbing of all--the 2000 Presidential Election.

Murray always made sure never to lose sight of things that meant most: character, integrity and civility. Although he could certainly go to battle for his client in the courtroom, Murray remembered at all times that we as lawyers are a community, and he made sure to treat everyone, including opposing lawyers, with respect. He was also never afraid to speak bluntly and candidly with courts, clients, and counsel, as he knew that honesty and openness were far more important than anything else. By maintaining this sort of perspective, not to mention his ever-present sense of humor, Murray was able to stay happy throughout his fascinating career. This was, to say the least, a tremendous...